Russ Rose Then (1991): “I expect Salima to be an All-American before she’s finished playing at Penn State. She’s already considered one of the top setters in the United States. Salima possesses good physical skills and strong leadership qualities and has the ability to get the players around her to play better. That’s an incredible intangible. Salima is upbeat and will do her best at all times.”
Russ Rose Now (2026): “Salima had so many different roles while she was at Penn State. As a player, from the first time she came in, she always had that smile. She always had a swagger to her game. She had long arms and very large hands, and she was a natural leader — and not just for the volleyball program, but for women’s athletics and Penn State at that time. After she was here, she went to Captain the national team, and since then has spent a great deal of time in the coaching world, some of it at Oregon State and Pitt, and at Penn State. At present, she’s the head coach at Notre Dame.”
1991 Season (RS Freshman) Highlights and Awards: Second Team All-Mideast Region … Second Team All-Big Ten … Penn State Classic all-tournament team … United States National Sports Festival Alternate.
Season Recap: In her first season as Penn State’s starting setter, Salima Davidson led the Lady Lions to a 2nd-place finish in Big Ten conference… played in 28 of 32 matches (sat out 4 matches in mid-October with stretched knee ligaments) and 108 of 122 sets … led the Big Ten in assists/set (11.67) and ranked 9th in digs/set (2.70) … hit double-figures in digs 16 times … finished 3rd on the team with 97 blocks and a hitting percentage of .278 … season highs: 7 kills (3 times), 11 blocks vs. Ohio State (9/28), 22 digs vs. Minnesota (11/15).
NCAA Tournament: Led Penn State to a reverse sweep win over Colorado (8-15, 10-15, 15-11, 15-6, 15-11) in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament (12/7), followed by a Second Round 5-set loss (15-13, 9-15, 15-11, 5-15, 11-15) to Ohio State (12/13).
Before Penn State: A letterwinner in three sports at Penn Hills HS, Davidson earned first-team all state, all-section and all-league honors … two time MVP at the Keystone State Games … starred at forward on the Penn Hills state chan1pionship basketball team … also competed in track.
